The
National Basketball Association (NBA) is North America's professional
men's basketball league, composed of thirty teams: twenty-nine in the
United States and one in Canada. It is an active member of USA
Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by the International Basketball
Federation as the National Governing Body (NGB) for basketball in the
United States. The NBA is one of the four major North American
professional sports leagues, which include Major League Baseball (MLB),
the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League
(NHL).

1940s and 1950s: The early years

The Basketball Association of America was founded in
1946 by the owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern
and Midwestern United States. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers, which
the NBA now regards as the first game played in the league's history.
Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball
leagues, including the American Basketball League and the NBL, the BAA
was the first league to attempt to play primarily in large arenas in
major cities. During its early years, the quality of play in the BAA
was not significantly better than in competing leagues or among leading
independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For instance, the
1948 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won that
league's 1948 title, and the 1948 NBL champion Minneapolis Lakers won
the 1949 BAA title.